Interview with BalticBest jury member Tomas Bartninkas, Strategy Director of TRUTH.
You have been with TRUTH Agency for over 25 years. How do you find the spark, the motivation to go to the office every morning?
I try to be a good strategist. I think each week is different. Each brief, each brand is different. Even if we have worked with the same brand for many years and it’s time for another Christmas campaign, it’s different. A good strategist needs to have that kind of attitude.
The average age of advertising agency people is 25-30. They understand the trends; they are digital natives. How do you feel in a company of the younger generation?
In strategy, nothing has changed since Jesus Christ. He knew how to communicate messages. Jesus said that there’s only one God who is his Father. That’s a very strong strategic message. What changes is the media, the channel. Good strategy is a mix of universal, classic principles and the clever, creative use of new media and new trends.
You teach strategy at the university. What do you recommend to read about strategy?
(Looks at the bookshelf) My favorite is Marc Pollard’s “Strategy is Your Words.” I recommend looking at the classic things first and then jumping into the new things. I like the quote by Picasso: “It took me four years to paint like Raphael, but a lifetime to paint like a child.” It means that you first must learn the classics and only then can you apply all the tricks and trends. In marketing strategy, all the main things have remained the same – positioning, target audience, problem, brand promise, and consistency. What has changed is that decades ago, the possibilities for small brands were limited because media was expensive. But now everybody can use some form of media.
What is the biggest challenge in your work?
Clients always try to say many things at the same time, two or three things. But it does not work. You need to have ONE message. But when you focus on only one thing, the risk of failure is also higher. It is natural for humans not to put all their eggs in one basket.
What are the hot trends in advertising now?
The good news is that humor is back. I love it! A few years ago, advertising became very serious, even sad. Now humor is back, and it’s good news for the creatives.
Your agency TRUTH used to be part of the McCann network. You have decided to become independent. Why is that?
Agency networks are not as powerful anymore because the volume of global advertising has declined. Advertising has become very segmented, personal, and highly targeted. The better we live, the more personalized products, services, and messages we need. However, global brands still have unified strategies and brand promises. Mastercard has used the “Priceless” idea for several decades, but the executions are local.
Focusing on a single message and bold creative requires bravery. How do you convince your clients to be brave? If you take too much risk, you may lose your job.
I always ask clients: “Are you rich or are you brave?” If you have a large budget, it may be totally OK to play it safe. But playing it safe with a small budget does not work!
Interview was conducted by Hando Sinisalu.
EXTRA INFORMATION
- Adwards creative competition win gives you points for Baltic Agency of the Year ranking! (read more about ranking)
- Winning any prize at BalticBest and become part of shortlist gives you more points for Baltic Agency of the Year ranking!
BalticBest 2024
You can find rules HERE.
Submission deadline: 12.08.2024
Shortlist published: 21.08.2024
Live judging and awards announced: 28.08.2024
